Exploring visual journalism

The Festival of Lights starts in Germany, devotees pierce themselves with sharp objects as part of religious purification rituals in Thailand, protesters brave the rain on the 10th day of the government shutdown in D.C., and more in today’s daily brief.

The installation “Keeper of Time” is seen in front of enlightened Berlin Cathedral Wednesday on the first day of Festival of Lights. (BRITTA PEDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images)

Damien McGrane of Ireland stands with his caddie on the practice ground prior to competing in the first round of the Portugal Masters Thursday at Oceanico Victoria Golf Course in Faro, Portugal. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

A man swims in floodwaters with a self-made floating device made of plastic bottles Thursday in Kabin Buri, east of Bangkok.. The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department reported that 27 provinces in Thailand are still flooded and 31 people have died due to floods that have drenched swathes of Southeast Asia in recent weeks. (NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images)

An artist gives final touches to a huge mural on a building in central Moscow on October 10, 2013. (VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

A picture taken with a long exposure shows the light of a motorcycle as it drives along a road in the Jabal al-Zawiya region of Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib on Tuesday. (MEZAR MATAR/AFP/Getty Images)

A general view shows traffic during rush hour in Tianjin on Thursday. The eastern Chinese city is hosting the East Asian Games, held every four years and which see nine countries participating in 262 events across 22 different sports. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)

Four-month-old orangutan Rizki is seen inside his cage at the Surabaya zoo in Surabaya on Thursday. An endangered Borneon orangutan died Thursday at Indonesia’s “death zoo,” the latest in a rash of suspicious animal deaths that have prompted calls to close the notorious site. (JUNI KRISWANTO/AFP/Getty Images)

Carol Wayman holds a sign that reads “Fund Our Government Pay Our Bills” during a rally at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday. The U.S. government shutdown is entering its tenth day as the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives remain gridlocked on funding the federal government. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Pakistani livestock traders wash their goats in a river near an animal market ahead of the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha in Lahore on Thursday. Muslims across the world are preparing to celebrate the annual festival of Eid al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, which marks the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and in commemoration of Prophet Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to God. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)

A devotee of the Chinese Bang Neow Shrine has swords inserted through his cheeks before taking part in a street procession during the annual Vegetarian Festival in the southern Thai town of Phuket on Thursday. During the festival, which begins on the first evening of the ninth lunar month and lasts nine days, religious devotees slash themselves with swords, pierce their cheeks with sharp objects and commit other painful acts to purify themselves, taking on the sins of the community. (CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP/Getty Images)

A stroller walks in snow at the Brocken, eastern Germany, on Thursday. Falling temperatures led to the first snow on the top of the 1141-meter-high mountain. (MATTHIAS BEIN/AFP/Getty Images)

A beggar holds a plastic cup as he asks for money in central Madrid, Thursday. Beggars, dog-lovers and fortune-tellers who venture onto Madrid’s busy streets may soon find themselves out of pocket as authorities in the city and elsewhere seek creative solutions to their financial problems.The Madrid council laid out plans this week to levy fines of 750 euros ($1,000) for public activities including soliciting for money outside shopping centers, feeding or washing dogs, reading tarot cards and performing acrobatics with a bike. Saddled with huge debts since a property bubble burst in 2008, Spain’s autonomous regions and town halls have seen core revenues fall as unemployment holds stubbornly above 25 percent and corporate investments dry up. Many owe millions to service suppliers and staff. (Susana Vera/REUTERS)

Members of the Malaysian Air Force wait as a storm rolls in ahead of the arrival of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at Subang Tentera Udara DiRaja Malaysia (TUDM) base outside Kuala Lumpur Thursday. Kerry is in Malaysia to meet with Malaysian officials and attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit. (Jacquelyn Martin/Pool/REUTERS)

Nepalese Hindu devotees sit and watch near the Shikali Temple during celebrations for the Shikali Jatra festival in the village of Khokana, on the outskirts of Kathmandu on Thursday. Local villagers, who normally do not celebrate the country’s most famous festival of Dashain, celebrate the Shikali Jatra each year. (PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images)

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The Darkroom, the photography and video blog of The Baltimore Sun, shines a light on visually captivating stories of our past and present. It showcases the exciting work of our staff, offers tips in the craft, and highlights the emerging community of independent media makers. We want your feedback – please contact us with suggestions and ideas.

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Bob Rhodes: Very interesting read....I have read previously about terrap…